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The Nativity

A work made of oil on panel.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of oil on panel.

Date:

1507/10

Artist:

Master of Pulkau
Bavarian or Austrian, active c. 1505–1520

About this artwork

Once thought to be by the young Albrecht Altdorfer, this painting is instead the work of a painter named after a winged altarpiece in the town of Pulkau, near the Austrian and Moravian border. Though the artist takes his name from the Pulkau altarpiece, he was probably active in Vienna. Like other loosely associated South German and Austrian artists of the early 16th century, who are now grouped together as the Danube School, the Master of Pulkau used exuberant natural forms to give a heightened emotional quality to his work. In this altarpiece wing, the swirling vegetation, excited angels, and oversized Virgin and animals direct the viewer’s attention to the vulnerable Christ Child, who is the focus of adoration.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Master of the Historia Friderici et Maximiliani

Title

The Nativity

Place

Austria (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1507–1510

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

111.4 × 74.1 cm (44 5/8 × 29 3/16 in.); Painted surface: 110.8 × 73.5 cm (43 5/8 × 28 5/16 in.)

Credit Line

Wilson L. Mead Fund

Reference Number

1933.799

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/15496/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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